New Super Mario Bros. Wii review

I'm-a Luigi Numba One

The eight standard worlds are as follows:

1. Mushroom Plains
2. Sea of Sand
3. Penguin Playground
4. Sparkle Ocean
5. Toxic Forest
6. Stone Head Mountains
7. Cloud Castle Courtyard
8. Bowser’s Volcano

An optional ninth world is available after completing Bowser’s Volcano, called Rainbow Path, which consists of eight unlockable worlds.  Each world is unlocked by collecting all the Star Coins in the corresponding standard world (Mushroom Plains unlocks World 9-1, for example).  Be warned, there are no checkpoints provided in these challenge levels as there are in all standard worlds.  There is no connection in art style or enemy composition to the standard world that unlocks each world in Rainbow Path.

Each world has its own flavor of reimagined mechanics and new challenges, but one clear message is sent by them all: a great deal of care was taken to put a ton of heart into NSMBW.  Koopa Troopas stop mid-step to dance to the joyful melody in the certain levels, accompanied by nearly every other enemy and even some power-ups.    The cute para-beetles in world 7-6 play an ascending musical scale as you leap from shell to shell to reach the finish, granting the players a 1-up every time the scale is completed.  Even the first phase of the battle against Bowser was designed in the spirit of the original Super Mario Bros. Bowser battle, complete with a small taste of “your Princess is in another castle”.  The music is definitely worth mentioning too, as nearly every track in NSMBW is a remix of an existing Mario track.

Within each world are the individual world stages, Huts, Towers, Boo Mansions, Enemy Patrols, and finally Castles.  Huts come in three types:

• Green—1-Up Blast Huts, where the player has the opportunity to earn additional lives by aiming their cannon at the reward globes rotating on the tracks above.
• Red—Power-up Panels Huts, where the player has the opportunity to earn additional power-ups (which may be used anywhere on the world map, but not during a world stage) by playing a minigame similar to the memory game played in Super Mario Bros. 3.
• Yellow—Star Huts, where the player is given a Star power-up.

Towers provide the player(s) with a glimpse of the type of fight awaiting them at the Castle boss battle in each world, as the Koopalings face them down on their own for the first time.  Castles, however, step it up a notch—with some help from Kamek, the Koopalings (and even Bowser himself) fight on with additional firepower, which takes a unique form depending on the boss.

Boo Mansions come into the picture after world 2, each with their own set of sinister pitfalls and pranks.  The Boo Mansions are typically home to many hidden treasures and traps alike—False doors, Haunted Vases, and false floors.  Of course, a Boo Mansion wouldn’t be a Boo Mansion without a liberal amount of Boos and Big Boos littering the premises.

World 5

Enemy Patrols occupy specific portions of the map, serving both as an obsticle and a source of Mushrooms to successful players.  To complete an Enemy Patrol world stage, the player must collect all the Toad Balloons—defeating the enemies is optional—and bonus points are provided to the player(s) depending on how many enemies remain on the screen when the final Toad Balloon has been collected.

Difficulty is scaled extremely well throughout the game, as should be expected of a design team this experienced.  But just in case a level is a little too difficult, the development team at Nintendo added Super Guide as an option to save the day when the player is nearly driven to reenacting the “Wiimote-through-the-TV” tragedy.  After dying eight times, upon reentering the world the player will find a big green “!” block waiting for them.  Hitting this block will trigger Super Guide, where Luigi will play through the level, avoiding secrets or shortcuts.  Control can be taken back at any time during the Super Guide, once it has bypassed the difficult portion of the world, for example, and credit will still be given for completing the world.

The enemies in NSMBW have been taken from many previous Mario titles, such as the Tower and Castle bosses—the Koopalings, who fight similarly to the way they did in Super Mario Bros. 3.    Bowser Jr. makes an appearance, as does Bowser, the Koopa King himself.  Nearly every type of baddie spanning every game from Super Mario Bros. to recent titles is included in the game, even the more obscure ones like Monty Moles.

There are no shortage of Secret Goals in NSMBW, some providing access to additional Huts, some providing access to the Warp Cannon, some providing an alternate route to the Castle (and in some cases, a direct path to the boss—thus avoiding the castle completely!).

Hint Movies are also available for purchase with Star Coins, providing the wherabouts of hard-to-find Star Coins, Secret Goals, ways to rake in the 1-ups, and the opportunity to watch some absurd teamwork from the people at Nintendo.

In a turtle shell, this “newstalgic” title will provide many hours of entertainment for gamers of all types.  Veterens to the franchise and newcomers alike can get into the catchy tunes, simple controls, and enjoyable gameplay either by themselves or with up to three friends.  If you call yourself a Nintendo fan at all, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a must-buy.

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